Quinn Ewers and Texas are already igniting fear in opposing teams

Texas’ ceiling during its last year in the Big 12 hinges entirely on the right arm of Quinn Ewers.

If Texas gets Quinn Ewers playing up to his five-star potential this season, the Longhorns can absolutely make the final four-team College Football Playoff before joining the SEC in 2024.

The talent has always been there. It is just a matter of getting more consistently great play out of the once-mulleted gunslinger from the Lone Star State. Ewers could potentially be a top-10 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft if all goes according to plan for him in year two in Austin. Of course, Texas has not handled even the slightest of expectations well. It is a big reason why they still aren’t back yet.

Here is what one anonymous coach told Athlon Sports in their season preview about Texas.

"“They could get scary good if Quinn (Ewers) plays the way he’s capable of. They’re really close to connecting it all on offense and playing up to that standard of a (Steve Sarkisian) team. Losing Bijan (Robinson) is a serious blow, no doubt. But this is the kind of scheme and the kind of roster where you just adjust to the other talent; you don’t try to fill a hole. There’s so much talent there at tight end and receiver that they’re going to burn some teams.”"

While the Steve Sarkisian offense could be absolutely explosive with Ewers firing on all cylinders, even with last year’s Doak Walker winner Bijan Robinson now playing in the NFL for the Atlanta Falcons, it is going to be all about defense if Texas wants to do what it wants to do before the SEC.

Regardless, there are plenty of reasons to be bullish on the Longhorns this season, nevertheless.

Quinn Ewers could be the reason why Texas Longhorns are fully back this season

I think if you look at Texas from a bird’s eye view this season, I mean, why can’t they go 11-1, win the Big 12 and go to the College Football Playoff? While I expect for Kansas State to be really good and for Oklahoma to be better, you would be lying to yourself if you didn’t think TCU was a major pullback candidate. We also have to factor in the four new teams joining the Big 12 this year, too.

With the big push towards the SEC coming in two years, Texas is left with no choice but to hit the ground running. The Longhorns and the Sooners will have to be sprinting to even hope to keep pace in the absolute bloodbath that is SEC competition. Frankly, I am way more confident that Texas will make the transition a bit more smoothly, at least initially, over arch rival Oklahoma.

Frankly, if all goes according to plan, Ewers will never play a down in the SEC. He will have done enough in year two in Austin to be a Heisman Trophy finalist leading a playoff-caliber team on his quest to becoming a first-round draft pick next spring. Of course, if this doesn’t happen, Texas may have bigger fish to fry than we could ever hope to realize. It’ll be time to see about Arch Manning.

Although I have major reservations about Manning living up to the absolutely absurd hype that has been placed on him because of his famous family, the plan all along was for him to replace Ewers once he turns pro and Texas joins the SEC. What if Ewers isn’t that good? Could he transfer again? Even more troubling, what if Manning isn’t that good? Oh, that could be bad news for Sark…

The good news is I feel strongly that Texas will be a top-12 team this year, meaning the Longhorns will probably get to Arlington and play in a New Year’s Six bowl as a one-to-three-loss team. If they finish the season as a top-two team in the Big 12, then that would be a huge step in the right direction for the program ahead of the SEC push. But if they do not, they will instill fear in no one.

The only way Texas makes the playoff as a top-three seed is if Ewers emerges as a total rockstar.